In the prior art, an information output method, which reads out a bar code printed on a printed material etc., and which has information such as a sound etc. outputted, has been proposed. For example, such a method that information which coincides with given key information has been stored in storage means in advance and information etc. is outputted by searching from the read key by use of a bar code reader has been proposed.
Also, so as to be able to output a lot of information and programs, such a technology that, generated is a dot pattern in which minute dots were disposed by a predetermined rule, and a dot pattern which was printed on a printed material etc. is imported as image data by a camera, and digitized to have sound information outputted, has been proposed.
However, the above-described method which has a sound etc. outputted by use of a conventional bar code has such a problem that a bar code printed on a printed material etc. is unpleasant to the eye. Also, since a bar code is large and takes possession of a part of a page space, it has such a problem that, when a bar code is large as just described, it is impossible from the view point of a layout to assign a good many of bar codes in a way easy to understand with respect to each meaningful character and object which appear in partial text and sentence or in images of a photograph, a painting, a graphic.
A dot pattern is imported as image data by a camera, and the image data is digitized into 256 tones of an achromatic color, and in order to make recognition of a dot easy, a change of tones is differentiated, to sharpen an edge of a dot. Then, data of 256 tones is changed to a binary digit of white or black. By realizing this change to a binary digit, when a dot is printed on a page space, there occurs a print error of a dot due to shear and blur in printing, misalignment on the occasion of having conducted pixelation. In the prior art, the suchlike print error is error-checked by a parity check. However, these error checks have such problems that they are not of a print error check with respect to each dot, but are of an error check to a lump of data which is obtained from a plurality of dots, and it is not possible to ascertain in which dot a print error occurred, and that a scope of image pickup of a camera has to be taken widely.
Furthermore, they have such a problem that there occurs distortion in an imaged dot pattern due to distortion of a lens, cross shot, expansion and contraction of a page space, curvature of a medium surface, and deflection at the time of printing, and in order to compensate this, an advanced technical capability is required.
This invention is one which was invented in order to solve such problems. That is, an object of this invention is to provide an information input and output method by use of a dot pattern which defines a goodly amount of data by use of a dot pattern, by imparting a different function to each dot of a dot pattern to be displayed on a printed material etc., and on the occasion of informatization from that dot pattern, can recognize directionality and informatize it expeditiously, and can check an error of a layout state of dots, and furthermore, can heighten security.